[TheAttorney]

  So I could simply say lets run at 768 kHz 24 bits and to hell with it. This is where my second hat comes on, and that's me as a music lover. I have 4TB portable hard drive, and its full. It is almost all redbook,
  As too recording engineers - well the ones I have met have been passionate about getting the best sound possible. Perhaps its a skewed sample, as recording engineers who wish to talk with me might be more passionate about SQ anyway...

Wow, 4TB is lot of redbook! But I'm glad you're championing redbook because it's all I've got. 
 
Regarding recording engineers, I'm sure many of them are passionate about best SQ, but I think of them as small cogs in a Huge Machine. And the Huge Machine is not as interested in SQ as it is in profit. And the Huge Machine also seems to genuinely mistake Loud SQ for Good SQ.

 

[Torq]

 
There is a fairly short list of ADC's used by engineers in the recording industry. If one, for example, looks at the extensive Neil Young catalog you have a large number of records made with the highly popular Pacific Microsonics ADC. Once Chord releases recordings made with Davina there will similarly be a Davina database to be analyzed.

 
It doesn't matter unless you have access to either the pre-ADC source material to compare with the output of the unknown-ADC, or you have at least two post-known-ADC copies of the identical source material.  With one, or both of those, you could generate the data necessary to fingerprint and unknown ADC.  But I imagine it's rather unlikely that studios make, and keep, parallel encodings of a given master using different ADCs.
 
Beyond that, if the pre-ADC source material differs in any way in either scenario it becomes impossible to determine whether what would amount to the "fingerprint" was a result of source material differences or artifacts of the ADC in use.  What you COULD do, is determine if there were differences in the various encodings; you just wouldn't have enough information to know WHY they differed (i.e. source differences vs. encoding differences).
 
And if you don't have that pre-ADC copy, or access to two existing post-known-ADC copies, then you'd have to re-sample the master.  Which makes the fingerprinting model irrelevant as at that point you'd simply make sure you were doing the re-sampling with a known-ADC.
 
MQA has lots of interesting ideas and clever models, but it doesn't change fundamental information theory.

 

[Audiolic]

now with metrum transient modules two, your only choice will be an hugo 2 at 2000$ that can beat metrum musette 2.  
 
I'm waiting for this musette 2 release before buying any dac..  

 

[drabbish]

   
Hey, congrats! a little bit OT, but right now I am powering my DAVE with the WireWorld Silver Electra 7, which I find beats the snot out of every PC I've ever tried, including the High Fidelity Cables stuff, all for the ultra low price of $500. I was totally shocked at how well it brought out the imaging, depth and resolution of my DAVE. It was the first PC that I had ever heard that did exactly what it said it would (and this is after being on The Cable Company loaner program for a while now). So, if you know, I'm wondering how the Platinum compares, since that's quite a large jump in price from the Silver to Platinum in price.

I actually havent jumped into the power cord stuff yet.  I was thinking of taking that step next year.  I have been considering WW plat vs shunyata seems like shunyata gets the nod in alot of forums when it comes to the power stuff. there was that audiobacon review with the dave and power cables it was a interesting review

 

[EVOLVIST]

  I actually havent jumped into the power cord stuff yet.  I was thinking of taking that step next year.  I have been considering WW plat vs shunyata seems like shunyata gets the nod in alot of forums when it comes to the power stuff. there was that audiobacon review with the dave and power cables it was a interesting review

 
Oh, I think I read your other post wrong. Sorry. You were talking about headphone cables, yeah?
 
Well, if you haven't gotten into power cables, DON'T!!! Just kidding (sort of)! It's a big pain the ass, really. It's funny because I've heard pretty much all of the exotic brands, and yes, I respect the hell out of opinions in here, as well as the reviews on audiobacon, but in the end I sort of thought for myself. Not that I was following the crowd, but that I just had to try what everybody said was the best, when in fact it's all goes by what your ears are tuned to.
 
The truth is, most of the exotic cables with my DAVE sounded worse with the cables in. There was either a hardening of the sound, the cable did nothing, or it sucked the life from the music. Yeah, there is snake oil in the bunch for sure. Not all, but most.
 
After hearing the offerings from the High Fidelity Cable Company, I thought I had settled on something that was really special...until it wasn't. So, after all the headaches, I had this WireWorld Silver Electra 7 sitting around that a real respected audio dealer kept telling me it was the best, but I had boxes full of all these more pricy, so I never gave the $500 cable a try. It was unbelievable when I put it in. A true revelation. Like I said in another post, like the stock cable, but more open, resolving, transparent, without a sound signature that deviated from the one that came with the DAVE.
 
It's a jungle out there. What works for me might not work for you. If you're trying to tune the DAVE away from its natural signature, by all means there are cables out there that will do that. But if you're trying to open up the DAVE by just getting cleaner power, while filtering out the bad stuff, well, I've only heard one cable that can do that. I have no idea what going up a big notch to their Platinum 7 will do, or not do.
 
My only caveats are that I employ a PS Audio P300 which provides balanced power in the form of a pure sine wave from my wall to the power cord, and that I am still using my HD800s, which I don't think synergies with the DAVE all that well, unless you mod or EQ.

 

[jlbrach]

A question to those who know more than I do...I own the LCD-4 as well as the Utopia...the Utopia is easy to drive with my volume levels usually between -34 to -22 or thereabout....with my LCD-4 my volume ranges from -15 to -5 with occasionally need for even a bit more volume....forgive me if this has been answered but at what point would one worry about clipping...how loud can one go before this would become an issue...since -3 is the setting for the DAC only mode I assume clipping wouldnt be an issue before you went beyond -3 but my question is how far could you safely go....up until now I have always used my Moon Neo 430 when i istened to my LCD-4's but I would rather go straight out of the Dave if possible...again apologies if this has been answered.....thanks

 

[x RELIC x]

A question to those who know more than I do...I own the LCD-4 as well as the Utopia...the Utopia is easy to drive with my volume levels usually between -34 to -22 or thereabout....with my LCD-4 my volume ranges from -15 to -5 with occasionally need for even a bit more volume....forgive me if this has been answered but at what point would one worry about clipping...how loud can one go before this would become an issue...since -3 is the setting for the DAC only mode I assume clipping wouldnt be an issue before you went beyond -3 but my question is how far could you safely go....up until now I have always used my Moon Neo 430 when i istened to my LCD-4's but I would rather go straight out of the Dave if possible...again apologies if this has been answered.....thanks

Maybe this will help:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/3030#post_12586759

The display setting of -3dB in DAC mode is the same as pre-amp mode - its just the volume control is permanently set to -3dB.

Dave has inbedded overload margins, for lots of different reasons, so it will actually only clip at volumes above +4dB. -3dB is 3v RMS, +4dB will give 6.7V RMS from the headphone or RCA outputs.

Rob

 

[jlbrach]

That is interesting,so as i read and understand that i should be able to go beyond -3 without issue as long as i do not exceed +4 which is a level i would never get to as far as I can imagine but who knows lol

 

[x RELIC x]

That is interesting,so as i read and understand that i should be able to go beyond -3 without issue as long as i do not exceed +4 which is a level i would never get to as far as I can imagine but who knows lol

That's what I read.

 

[Deftone]

  now with metrum transient modules two, your only choice will be an hugo 2 at 2000$ that can beat metrum musette 2.  
 
I'm waiting for this musette 2 release before buying any dac..  

 
Interesting, well i know my next DAC purchase will be the successor to Hugo (whenever it comes)

 

[EVOLVIST]

Maybe this will help:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/766517/chord-electronics-dave/3030#post_12586759

Yeah, but that's in DAC and preamp mode. Are we sure that applies to the headphone out? It seems to be I had read Rob say +6db for headphones, but I could be mistaken.

 

[jlbrach]

In DAC out mode it is fixed is it not...I suppose you could increase the volume in the DAC out mode but that wouldnt make much sense....I am only referring to headphone out mode

 

[EVOLVIST]

In DAC out mode it is fixed is it not...I suppose you could increase the volume in the DAC out mode but that wouldnt make much sense....I am only referring to headphone out mode

Right, yeah so just preamp mode, that is unless it's +4db in headphone mode, too.

 

[x RELIC x]

Right, yeah so just preamp mode, that is unless it's +4db in headphone mode, too.

I would presume so as he mentions the RCA and headphone out in the same sentance:

Yeah, but that's in DAC and preamp mode. Are we sure that applies to the headphone out? It seems to be I had read Rob say +6db for headphones, but I could be mistaken.

The display setting of -3dB in DAC mode is the same as pre-amp mode - its just the volume control is permanently set to -3dB.

Dave has inbedded overload margins, for lots of different reasons, so it will actually only clip at volumes above +4dB. -3dB is 3v RMS, +4dB will give 6.7V RMS from the headphone or RCA outputs.

Rob

 

[x RELIC x]

Basically, as I understand it, they are all the same output with different memories for digital volume control. XLR doubles the voltage out, but Rob has said it's not as clean as the RCA.